In an increasingly competitive market, broadcasters and post-production facilities are differentiating and growing their businesses by investing in Autodesk's visual effects and finishing solutions.
These solutions provide digital artists and editors with the professional tools necessary to quickly produce high-value content. Facilities that have benefitted from recent purchases of Autodesk systems include BSkyB, Sight Entertainment, Mere Mortals, E3 Post and Channel 4.
BSkyB
In the United Kingdom, London-based BSkyB's in-house creative department has invested in an Autodesk Smoke software system for editing and finishing to work alongside its Autodesk Flame software system for visual effects and Autodesk Backdraft Conform software as the media management solution. These Autodesk products are used for promos, titles and channel branding across BSkyB's news, entertainment and sports channels.
"Flame is key to our smooth workflow at BSkyB," said Nassreen Akhtar, the facility's creative facilities and operations manager. "On our major projects, you simply couldn't accomplish our 2D/3D work in any other environment. Since we moved to Flame, things have just become better and better, especially with Linux, which has made a huge positive difference in our production pipeline. Autodesk systems are also great for working directly with clients. Autodesk's environments are much more interactive than other offerings. Whether it's our own in-house producers or clients from external production companies and agencies, Flame and Smoke help us accomplish collaborative, top-quality work at a speed difficult to match."
Sight Entertainment
After six years of production-proven satisfaction with Autodesk Combustion software, California-based Sight Entertainment has added an Autodesk Smoke system to its pipeline. Since adding the Smoke system less than three months ago, Sight Entertainment has used it to complete multiple projects, including an effects-heavy spot for Japanese client Suntory and a music video for Radical Media director Zach Merck.
Sight Entertainment owner and effects supervisor, Yuzaburo Saito, said, "Sight Entertainment is a growing visual effects studio. After our first demonstration of the Smoke capabilities, our decision to convert from a competitive product to Autodesk was simple. Autodesk solutions have helped us gain the trust and respect of international and domestic clients. Smoke has been instrumental in providing the speed necessary for compositing 2D and 3D elements and finishing. The system has accelerated our workflow and has given us the confidence to solve tricky shots in real time, right in front of the client."
Mere Mortals
In the U.K., Newcastle-based facility Mere Mortals invested in an Autodesk Smoke editing/finishing system to grow its business. Steve Walmsley, Mere Mortals managing director, said, "In addition to work from clients in the thriving regional film and advertising industry, our new Smoke system is attracting a substantial amount of business from outside the North East of Britain. Big budget productions filmed in Newcastle have traditionally sent their editing work south because local facilities weren't available. The technical capabilities of Smoke, with its real-time, mixed-resolution interactivity for all types of creative editorial work, offer film and post-production clients everything they need. Smoke allows us to compete with rivals across the UK and gives our business the edge required to win more jobs."
E3 Post
Washington, D.C.-based E3 Post added an Autodesk Flame visual effects system to its facility, and as a direct result, has seen a steady increase in its client base. The Flame system has enabled E3 Post's transition and ultimate growth into more corporate, commercial, and political work. Victor Wolansky, visual effects artist at E3 Post, said, "Flame gives you so much freedom, flexibility, speed and creative control -- exactly what I found lacking in competing systems I've worked with. I immediately got into Action, Batch and the 3D compositing environment, and I'm still learning new things every day. Flame just has so much to offer."
Channel 4
United Kingdom-based Channel 4 has invested in a Smoke system for its post-production arm called 124 Facilities. The system was selected after rigorous testing alongside systems from other vendors. Smoke will be used to finish trailers for three channels: Channel 4, E4 and More4."We were finding that more and more finishing was being done out of house, so we decided to invest in a finishing/effects system, enabling us to grow our business by offering these services in-house," said Tony Chamberlain, 124 managing director. "Smoke proved to have all the right tools for our needs and, from a user point of view, it's the system that the editors and clients are most happy with."
